Yes, I am a teacher, no I don't know everything. Part of the reason I didn't enjoy teaching kids (besides preschoolers) younger than 3rd grade is because I was terrified of teaching kids the beginning stages of reading and writing. How do you teach them such an abstract topic? Well, here I am, with a kid of my own who is very interested in learning to write and I am still terrified. I am lucky for three reasons. First, he's in an amazing school that fosters kids interests and helps them learn to write if they are interested. Second, I was able to observe the Kindergarten teacher teaching the kids to write, so I have some tiny clue as to what to do. Three, LT is so self motivated that he is basically teaching himself. We may never make it past this stage, but for now I am completely impressed.
This is his play plan from about a month ago. I had no idea he could or would write anything. On my snack day I went in and was blown away when he sat down and wrote this by himself and then read it to his teacher to help fill in the blanks. A few days later I observed the Kindergarten teacher. The kids were doing their papers titled "Over the weekend I...". They were to draw a picture and write the words. She modeled and the kids helped her. Hers went something like this, "over the weekend, I rd m bk" "over the weekend I rode my bike". She wrote down (and left the copy on the board) exactly what the kids had heard and told her to write. In my head I thought writing had to be perfect spelling from the beginning, but I am now realizing that just hearing and writing the consonant sounds is an important first step. I was ready to tackle this the next time LT wanted to write. Instead, he beat me to it, alone. Below is what I found him doing one morning.
"LT, wow, can you read me what you are writing?" He said, "sure, Elephants name is Kite, he flies a kite". After he read it, he realized that he had forgotten the "is" and asked me to add it. Later that afternoon, I was upstairs putting Adler to sleep and came down to him with a pencil and little notebook. I asked what he was doing. He said, "just practicing my letters". He had basically made a pattern with several letters and was copying it over and over again. I am in no hurry for him to learn to read or write, but I am happy that he is enjoying it rather than struggling with it at such a young age.
This is his play plan from about a month ago. I had no idea he could or would write anything. On my snack day I went in and was blown away when he sat down and wrote this by himself and then read it to his teacher to help fill in the blanks. A few days later I observed the Kindergarten teacher. The kids were doing their papers titled "Over the weekend I...". They were to draw a picture and write the words. She modeled and the kids helped her. Hers went something like this, "over the weekend, I rd m bk" "over the weekend I rode my bike". She wrote down (and left the copy on the board) exactly what the kids had heard and told her to write. In my head I thought writing had to be perfect spelling from the beginning, but I am now realizing that just hearing and writing the consonant sounds is an important first step. I was ready to tackle this the next time LT wanted to write. Instead, he beat me to it, alone. Below is what I found him doing one morning. 
"LT, wow, can you read me what you are writing?" He said, "sure, Elephants name is Kite, he flies a kite". After he read it, he realized that he had forgotten the "is" and asked me to add it. Later that afternoon, I was upstairs putting Adler to sleep and came down to him with a pencil and little notebook. I asked what he was doing. He said, "just practicing my letters". He had basically made a pattern with several letters and was copying it over and over again. I am in no hurry for him to learn to read or write, but I am happy that he is enjoying it rather than struggling with it at such a young age.
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